After a year which featured lingering economic uncertainty, and underperformance from many popular IPOs, 2012 should see some exciting activity from the more than 200 companies hoping to go public. Here are 24/7 Wall St.'s picks for the top IPOs to watch.

Peter Nachtwey, CFO of Carlyle Group, is leaving the private equity company as it plans an IPO.
"Pete decided to pursue a great new opportunity for him, which we understand will be announced soon," Carlyle spokesman Christopher Ullman said, according to Bloomberg News. "We thank him for his service to Carlyle and wish him continued success."

Private equity giant Carlyle Group is planning an IPO to build capital to fund more buyouts.
"There will be significant advantages to having a lot more capital," CEO William Conway told Bloomberg Businessweek. "Investors are reducing commitments to funds and making economic terms much less attractive."

CommScope (CTV), a maker of telecommunications equipment, agreed to be purchased by private equity firm The Carlyle Group for $3.9 billion.
Under the terms of the deal, Carlyle will acquire all of the outstanding shares of CommScope common stock for $31.50 per share, cash, the companies said in a statement. That price represents a 36% premium versus the stock%u2019s closing price at the end of last week.

CommScope (CTV), a maker of telecommunications equipment, said that private-equity firm Carlyle Group is in talks to buy the company for about $3 billion.
If the deal goes through, Carlyle would acquire all of CommScope%u2019s outstanding stock for $31.50 a share in cash, Bloomberg News said. That would represent a premium of 36% over CommScope%u2019s closing price on Oct. 22.

Investor Wilbur Ross will buy Ireland%u2019s troubled Education Savings Bank as part of a consortium with private equity outfit Carlyle and Dublin-based Cardinal Group.
The consortium will close the deal for the bank, which has about $15 billion in deposits, as soon as next week, Ross told CNBC.

Akerson will need to convince shareholders that GM, which is only a year out of bankruptcy and has posted just two profitable quarters, is a worthy investment. He'll also have to make sure the carmaker's dramatic turnaround is built to last.

Carlyle Group and TPG Capital agreed to buy Australian private healthcare provider Healthscope Ltd for A$2 billion, or $1.7 billion.
Healthscope said today that shareholders should accept the cash offer of A$6.26 a share, Bloomberg News reported. The offer values the company at A$2.7 billion including debt.

A new suitor may be entering the bidding war for Healthscope, the second-largest private hospital chain in Australia: Tenet Healthcare. But going head to head with the private equity giants who have already

Now that private equity is no longer producing monster returns, it's time to assess its value. By using debt, buyout shops have taken over struggling companies and enriched investors. But critics say the practice leads to more layoffs and the "flipping" of companies.